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Observer-based suboptimal controller design for permanent magnet synchronous motors : state-dependent Riccati equation controller and impulsive observer approaches
No full textPermanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs) with high energy efficiency, reliable performance, and a relatively simple structure are widely utilised in various applications. In this paper, a suboptimal controller is proposed for PMSMs without sensors based on the state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) technique combined with customised impulsive observers (IOs). Here, the SDRE technique facilitates a pseudo-linearised display of the motor with state-dependent coefficients (SDCs) while preserving all its nonlinear features. Considering the risk of non-available/non-measurable states in the motor due to sensor and instrumentation costs, the SDRE is combined with IOs to estimate the PMSM speed and position states. Customised IOs are proven to be capable of obtaining quality, continuous estimates of the motor states despite the discrete format of the output signals. The simulation results in this work illustrate an accurate state estimation and control mechanism for the speed of the PMSM in the presence of load torque disturbances and reference speed changes. It is clearly shown that the SDRE-IO design is superior compared to the most popular existing regulators in the literature for sensorless speed control
Philosophy teaching and filiations of learning in sixteenth-century Bologna : Ludovico Boccadiferro’s Early De Anima Lectures
No full textExploring voluntary sector specialist services for victim-survivors of sexual violence in England : the PROSPER co-production study
No full textGeneral practitioners’ views on emergency care treatment plans; an on-line survey
Get PDFBackground: A holistic approach to emergency care treatment planning is needed to ensure that patients’ preferences are considered should their clinical condition deteriorate. To address this Emergency Care and Treatment Plans (ECTPs) have been introduced. Little is known about their use in general practice.
Aim: To survey general practitioners’ (GPs’) experiences of, and views on, using ECTPs.
Design & setting: On-line survey of GPs practising in England.
Method: A survey of 841 GPs using the monthly on-line survey provided by Medeconnect, a market research company.
Results: ECTP forms were used by 49% of respondents’ practices (84% of these were Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) plans); 51% used do not attempt cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) forms. GPs are the predominant professional group completing ECTPs in the community. There was broad support for a wider range of community-based health and social care professionals being able to complete ECTPs. There was no system for reviewing ECTPs in 20% of respondents’ practices.
When compared to using a DNACPR form GPs using a ReSPECT form for emergency care treatment planning were more comfortable having these conversations with patients (OR =1.72, 95% CI 1.1–2.69) and family members (OR =1.85 (95% CI 1.19–2.87).
Conclusion: The potential benefits and challenges of widening the pool of health and social care professionals initiating and / or completing the ECTP process needs consideration. ReSPECT plans appears to make GPs more comfortable with ECTP discussions supporting their implementation. Practice-based systems for reviewing ECTP decisions should be strengthened
NCAM mimetic peptide P2 synergizes with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in promoting functional recovery after stroke
Get PDFThe neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) promotes neural development and regeneration. Whether NCAM mimetic peptides could synergize with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in stroke treatment deserves investigation. We found that the NCAM mimetic peptide P2 promoted BMSC proliferation, migration, and neurotrophic factor expression, protected neurons from oxygen-glucose deprivation through ERK and PI3K/AKT activation and anti-apoptotic mechanisms in vitro. Following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats, P2 alone or in combination with BMSCs inhibited neuronal apoptosis and induced the phosphorylation of ERK and AKT. P2 combined with BMSCs enhanced neurotrophic factor expression and BMSC proliferation in the ischemic boundary zone. Moreover, combined P2 and BMSC therapy induced translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor, upregulated heme oxygenase-1 expression, reduced infarct volume, and increased functional recovery as compared to monotreatments. Treatment with LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor) and PD98059 (ERK inhibitor) decreased the neuroprotective effects of combined P2 and BMSC therapy in MCAO rats. Collectively, P2 is neuroprotective while P2 and BMSCs work synergistically to improve functional outcomes after ischemic stroke, which may be attributed to mechanisms involving enhanced BMSC proliferation and neurotrophic factor release, anti-apoptosis, and PI3K/AKT and ERK pathways activation
A smartphone-based tool for screening diabetic neuropathies : a mHealth and 3D printing approach
Get PDFDiabetic neuropathy, a nerve damage associated with diabetes mellitus, can lead to severe disabilities, morbidity, and mortality, if not diagnosed in a timely manner. Diabetic neuropathies represent a huge economic burden and are a growing problem in sub-Saharan Africa, where they affect up to 61% of the diabetic population. Therefore, the United Nations (UN) has included the reduction of the diabetes-related mortality, as a priority in the Sustainable Development Agenda. A review of the current existing solutions for diabetic patients highlighted the fact that many are focused on lifestyle management and glycemia monitoring, while less are available for diabetic neuropathies screening, in particular in the digital health field. Beyond cutting-edge screening methods, which are time-consuming and equipment-heavy, traditional ones are effective, but they require specialised knowledge, which often lacks in low-resource settings. These settings, specifically those in low-income countries, are challenged by the lack of expertise, funds, spare parts, and consumables and harsh environmental conditions, which hinder the safe use of medical devices. This paper proposes a smart-tool for the screening of diabetic neuropathies based on the effective combination of three already established methods, through 3D-printed accessories and a smartphone app, aiming at contributing towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3, as well as the fourth industrial revolution in healthcare. Moreover, an on-field evaluation for this smart-tool is ongoing. So far, we recruited 11 normosubjects as a pilot study. The results demonstrate that it could be a viable solution to improve the standard of care of diabetic patients, specifically in the field of diabetic neuropathy screening, globally, as well as locally in low-resource settings
The quest for the psychological Jesus through a Jungian lens
No full textThis study employs psychological type theory to advance the quest for the psychological Jesus within the reader-response approach to biblical hermeneutics, drawing on data provided by 192 participants from a Pentecostal background who completed two versions of the Francis Psychological Type Scales: one explored the participants’ psychological type profile; the other explored the psychological type profile that they attributed to Jesus. In terms of the 16 complete types, 35% of the participants profiled Jesus as ESFJ, compared with 14% who profiled themselves as ESFJ. In terms of underlying scale scores, the data revealed a significant tendency for participants to construct their image of Jesus within the contours of their own psychological type profile. For example, thinking types were more likely to form an image of Jesus as a thinking type, while feeling types were more likely to form an image of Jesus as a feeling type
Biodegradation of microplastics derived from controlled release fertilizer coating : selective microbial colonization and metabolism in plastisphere
No full textCoated controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) are widely used in agriculture, and the persistent presence of residual polymer coating has raised environmental concerns. This study investigates the underlying degradation dynamics of microplastics (MPs) derived from three typical materials used in CRFs, including polyethylene (PE), epoxy (EP), and polyurethane (PU), through a soil degradation test. The formation of surface biofilm, the succession process, and metabolic characteristics of microbial community are revealed by laser scanning confocal microscope, 16S rRNA sequencing, and non-targeted metabolomics analysis. The weight loss rates of PE, EP, and PU after 807 days of degradation were 16.70 %, 2.79 %, and 4.86 %, respectively. Significant secondary MPs were produced with tears and holes appeared in the coating cross sections and pyrolysis products such as ethers, acids, and esters for PE; alkanes, olefins and their branched-chain derivatives for EP; and short-chain fatty acids and benzene molecules for PU. The coating surface selectively recruited the bacteria of Chujaibacter and Ralstonia and fungus of Fusarium and Penicillium, forming biofilm composed of lipids, proteins, and living cells. The metabolism of amino acids and polymers was enhanced to protect against MP-induced stress. The metabolites or intermediates of organic acids and derivatives, oxygen-contained organic compounds, and benzenoids on CRF surface increased significantly compared with soil, but there were no significant differences among different coating types. This study provides insights to the underlying mechanisms of biodegradation and microenvironmental changes of MPs in soil
Patterns of blaming and structures of feeling : thinking culturally about criminalisation
No full textPressure-dependent phase transitions in hybrid improper ferroelectric Ruddlesden-Popper oxides
Get PDFThe temperature-dependent phase transitions in Ruddlesden-Popper oxides with perovskite bilayers have been under increased scrutiny in recent years due to the so-called hybrid improper ferroelectricity that some chemical compositions exhibit. However, little is currently understood about the hydrostatic pressure dependence of these phase transitions. Herein we present the results of a combined high-pressure powder synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiment and abinitio study on the bilayered Ruddlesden-Popper phases Ca3Mn2O7 and Ca3Ti2O7. In both compounds we observe a first-order phase transition, that in combination with our density functional theory calculations, we can confidently assign as being between polar
A21am and nonpolar Acaa structures. Interestingly, we show that while the application of pressure ultimately favors a nonpolar phase, as is commonly observed for proper ferroelectrics, regions of response exist where pressure actually acts to increase the polar mode amplitudes. The reason for this can be untangled by considering the varied response of octahedral tilts and rotations to hydrostatic pressure and their trilinear coupling with the polar instability